US 20100288681A1

(19) United States

(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. N0.: US 2010/0288681 A1
Gallagher (43) Pub. Date: NOV. 18, 2010

(54) TWO STAGE PULP SCREENING DEVICE (52) US. Cl. ........................ .. 209/240; 209/303; 209/243
WITH TWO STATIONARY CYLINDRICAL
SCREENS

(75) Inventor: Brian J. Gallagher, Litch?eld, NH (57) ABSTRACT

US
( ) A device including a hollow cylindrical body, ?rst and second
Correspondence Address: stationary coaxial annular screening screens disposed within
JAMES EARL LOWE, JR. the body, and a rotor within the body and positioned between
15417 W NATIONAL AVE # 300 the screens to conduct the slurry through the ?rst screen and
NEW BERLIN, WI 53151 (US) then through the second screen, the rotor being driven in
rotation. The pulp slurry passes through a central entry pipe,
(73) Assigneet GL&V FIANCE HUNGARY radially outward and then upward along the inside of the
KFT-, Munsbach (LU) rotor, further inward through a coarse screen cylinder, and
then around the end of the rotor to pass between the outer
(21) APP1- NOJ 12/464,658 surface of the rotor and the inner surface of a ?ne screen
_ cylinder. The pulp slurry then ?nally passes outward through
(22) Flled: May 12 2009 the ?ne screen cylinder. Coarse rejects, such as knots or other
coarse material, are collected at the end of the coarse screen
Publication Classi?cation ing chamber and led away for further processing. Fine rejects
(51) Int. Cl. are similarly collected at the end of the ?ne screening cham
B07B 1/22 (200601) her, also to be led away separately for further processing.

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Patent Application Publication Nov. 18, 2010 Sheet 1 0f 3 US 2010/0288681 A1

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Patent Application Publication Nov. 18, 2010 Sheet 2 of3 US 2010/0288681 A1

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Patent Application Publication Nov. 18, 2010 Sheet 3 0f 3 US 2010/0288681 A1

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US 2010/0288681A1
TWO STAGE PULP SCREENING DEVICE
WITH TWO STATIONARY CYLINDRICAL
SCREENS
BACKGROUND
[0001] This disclosure relates to the separation of ?ber
from cellulose pulp slurry by rotary screening of the pulp
stock and, more particularly, to a tWo stage pressure type
screening device. The ?rst stage is a coarse screen With the
pulp slurry in?oWing a stationary screen and rejecting the
coarser particles in the pulp. This ?rst stage is referred to as
deknotting in chemical pulping applications, or as simply
coarse screening in, for example, old corrugated cardboard
(OCC) screening. The second stage is a ?ne screen to better
insure the separation of the rejects from the pulp ?bers.
Examples of similar devices include US. Alajaask Pat. No.
5,575,395 and US. Forslund Pat. No. 6,702,120
[0002] TWo stage screening devices have been knoWn in the
past, and three examples of such devices are disclosed in US.
Hooper Pate. No. 3,898,157, granted Aug. 5, 1975; in US.
Lamort Pat. No. 3,545,621, granted Dec. 8, 1970; and A. B.
Knutsilpalater in SWedish printed Patent application 348,243,
?led Feb. 7, 1970. These publications shoW tWo screen stages
in line on the same vertical axis With the ?rst stage being on
top and the screens both being stationary and approximately
the same diameter. The pulp slurry in?oWs through the ?rst
stage screen and out?oWs through the second stage screen.
The disclosures shoW rotating foils Within the screens to
prevent the perforations or slots from plugging.
[0003] US. Gero et al. Pat. No. 5,538,632 illustrates a pulp
Washer, With tWo concentric, radially spaced apart inside and
outside Washer screens, With a rotorbetWeen the screens, With
slurry passing ?rst past the inside screen on the inside surface
of the rotor, and then past the outside screen on the outside of
the rotor.
SUMMARY
[0004] This application discloses a device including a hol
loW cylindrical body, ?rst and second stationary coaxial
annular screening screens disposed Within the body, and a
rotor Within the body and positioned betWeen the screens to
conduct the slurry through the ?rst screen and then through
the second screen, the rotor being driven in rotation.
[0005] The pulp slurry passes through a central entry or
slurry inlet pipe, radially outWard and then upWard along the
inside of the rotor, further inWard through a coarse screen
cylinder, and then around the end of the rotor to pass betWeen
the outer surface of the rotor and the inner surface of a ?ne
screen cylinder. The pulp slurry then ?nally passes outWard
through the ?ne screen cylinder. Coarse rejects, such as knots
or other coarse material, are collected at the end of the coarse
screening chamber and led aWay for further processing. Fine
rejects are similarly collected at the end of the ?ne screening
chamber, also to be led aWay separately for further process
mg.
[0006] One of the principal objects of the disclosure is to
provide both coarse and ?ne screening in a compact con
tainer.
[0007] Another of the principal objects of the disclosure is
to provide both coarse and ?ne screening making use of a
single rotor to provide the motive force to screen both knots
and shives or other small debris from a pulp carrying slurry.
Nov. 18, 2010
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional vieW taken through the
axis of a pulp-screening device.
[0009] FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional perspective vieW of the
pulp-screening device shoWn in FIG. 1.
[0010] FIG. 3 is top vieW of the pulp-screening device
shoWn in FIG. 2 taken along the line 3-3 in FIG. 2.
[0011] Before one embodiment of the invention is
explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is
not limited in its application to the details of the construction
and the arrangements of components set forth in the folloWing
description or illustrated in the draWings. The invention is
capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being
carried out in various Ways. Also, it is to be understood that
the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the pur
pose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
Use of including and comprising and variations thereof
as used herein is meant to encompass the items listed there
after and equivalents thereof as Well as additional items. Use
of consisting of and variations thereof as used herein is
meant to encompass only the items listed thereafter and
equivalents thereof. Further, it is to be understood that such
terms as forward, rearWard, left, right, upWard and
doWnWard, etc., are Words of convenience in reference to
the draWings and are not to be construed as limiting terms.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED
EMBODIMENT
[0012] Illustrated in FIG. 1 of the draWings is a preferred
embodiment of a pulp-screening device 8. The device 8
includes a holloW cylindrical body or housing 10, ?rst and
second stationary coaxial annular screening screens 19 and
25 disposed Within the housing 10, With the second screen 25
disposed generally radially outWardly of the ?rst screen 19,
and a rotor 21 Within the housing 10 and positioned betWeen
the screens 19 and 25 to conduct the slurry through the ?rst
screen 19 and then through the second screen 25, the rotor 21
being driven in rotation.
[0013] More particularly, the annular housing 10 has an
inlet chamber 13 therein for receiving a How of stock slurry
that is admitted at an inlet 11 into the housing 10. ArroWed
lines are included on the draWing to shoW the How of stock
and ?ber knots through the housing as the stock proceeds
through the housing. The screened slurry passes out of the
housing 10 through an accepts outlet 12.
[0014] The ?rst and second screens 19 and 25, respectively,
are mounted Within the housing. The screens 19 and 25 are
annular, foraminous bodies, coaxially positioned, With screen
19 being disposed radially Within, but spaced from screen 25.
[0015] As the stock slurry enters the housing at 11, it ?oWs
in a circumferential manner, With large junk pieces settling
under the force of gravity in a junk trap in a loWer most
portion of the inlet chamber 13. Although normally closed,
the junk trap can be opened to remove the junk pieces, When
desired. The slurry then ?oWs like a vortex to the center of the
inlet chamber 13, With the velocity increasing in inverse pro
portion to the radius (similar to a hydro cyclone). The slurry
then travels axially doWnWard along a stationary slurry inlet
pipe 15 to an open chamber 17, Where it is directed radially
outWardly to How in an opposite axial upWard direction
US 2010/0288681A1
through an annular passage 18. In the annular passage 18, the
slurry ?oWs past the openings of the ?rst screen 19. The
accepted slurry ?oWs from the ?rst or outer side of the screen
19 to the second or inner side of the screen 19 and into a
chamber 20 betWeen the vertical inlet pipe 15 and the screen
19.
[0016] The radial outer boundary or Wall of the annular
passage 18 is formed by the inside surface 57 of the annular
rotor 21, Which is coaxial With the annular screen 19 and is
mounted on a rotor support 22. The rotor support 22 is driven
in rotation by a drive motor 53.
[0017] The rotor 21 is a cylinder, open at the top and closed
at the bottom. The rotational velocity of the stock When it ?rst
reaches the rotor 21 Will be on the same order of magnitude as
the rotor 21. In the preferred embodiment, the radial gap
betWeen the inside of the rotor 21 and the outside of the coarse
screen 19 is 50 mm, although other dimensions can be used in
other embodiments. The rotor need only maintain the stock
velocity relative to the screen 19, so some degree of rough
ness may be necessary. In the preferred embodiment, the
inside surface of the rotor 21 is smooth, but it may have a
pro?led surface or surfaces to transfer rotational acceleration
to the stock. Further, if some sort of face cleaning pulsation is
needed, that can also be added to the inside surface of the rotor
21, in a conventional manner.
[0018] As the slurry ?oWs axially along the screen 19 and
the rotor 21, the How being to the top as shoWn in FIGS. 1 and
2, the slurry reaches the top of the rotor 21. Closing the end of
the annular passage 18 betWeen the ?rst screen 19 and the
rotor 21, adjacent the open end of the rotor 21, as shoWn in
FIGS. 2 and 3, is a screen top support 36. The screen top
support 36 is in the form of a ring, spaced apart from the top
of the housing 10 by spaced apart legs 37 (see FIG. 2). The
screen top support 36 closes the end of the passage 18, except
for a rejects outlet 30, and a dilution inlet 16.
[0019] Dilution liquid is added through the dilution liquid
inlet 16. The dilution liquid mixes With the ?bers and aids in
replacing liquor WithdraWn from the ?bers in its passage
along the axial passage 18. Knots rejected by the screen 19
continue to the top of the annular passage 18, Where they exit
vertically (see FIG. 3) through the rejects outlet, Which is in
the form of a small chamber 30 the Width of the distance (50
mm) betWeen the rotor 21 and the screen and about 10% of the
circumference of the screen tip support 36 in arc length. This
small chamber 30 communicates With a pipe 32 leading radi
ally out of the housing 10.
[0020] As shoWn in FIG. 3, the stock accepted through the
knotter screen 19 goes upWard, and then passes radially
through a gap 34 (100 mm high) over the top of the annular
passageWay 18 and the screen top support (see FIGS. 2 and 3),
and then doWnWard betWeen the rotor 21 and the ?ne slotted
screen 25.
[0021] The slurry then leaves the gap 34 and reverses ?oW
direction, as shoWn by the arroWed line in FIG. 1. The slurry
then ?oWs axially in an opposite direction along an annular,
axially extending passage 24. The passage 24 is de?ned
betWeen the outer surface of the rotor 21 and the annular
screen 25. The slurry ?oWs through the screen 25, leaving
behind any debris or ?ne contaminants still remaining in the
slurry, that then ?oW into an outlet chamber 26 and out of the
device 8 through a reject pipe 14. The rotor 21, driven in
rotation, generates circumferential and radial velocities in the
stock, and an axial velocity is generated by the pressure
differential betWeen the inlet 11 and the accepts outlet 12.
Nov. 18, 2010
[0022] The rotor rotation generates negative pulsations and
mixing of the slurry along the screen surface. To aid in this, a
plurality of projections (not shoWn) are mounted on the outer
radial surfaces of the rotor 21. These projections may take
various desired shapes, but in the preferred embodiment, are
in a smoothed form of the shape of the rotor 123 shoWn in
FIG. 3 of Us. Young et al. Pat. No. 5,307,939, Which is
incorporated herein by reference.
[0023] As shoWn and described in this embodiment, the
device 8 occupies relatively little space, and the stock slurry
makes tWo full axial passages through the housing 10 and is
subjected to tWo full length axial travels through the screens
19 and 25.
[0024] Various other features and advantages of the inven
tion Will be apparent from the folloWing claims.
1. A device including a holloW body de?ning axially
extending compartments therein for receiving a slurry of pulp
?bers in a carrying slurry and provided With a slurry inlet and
a slurry outlet;
?rst and second stationary coaxial annular screening
screens disposed Within said body; With the second
screen disposed generally radially outWardly of the ?rst
screen,
and a rotor Within the body and positioned betWeen the
screens to conduct the slurry through said ?rst screen
and then through said second screen, said rotor being
driven in rotation.
2. A device in accordance With claim 1, Wherein said device
further includes a slurry inlet pipe, coaxial With and radially
inWard from said rotor.
3. A device in accordance With claim 2, Wherein said rotor
is closed at one end and open at the other end, so that slurry
passing through said ?rst screen passes axially along said
housing, betWeen said slurry inlet pipe and the ?rst screen,
and then around said rotor at its open end to pass axially along
said housing betWeen the outer surface of the rotor and the
second screen.
4. A device in accordance With claim 3 Wherein said device
at said rotor open end includes a rejects outlet so that slurry
not passing through said ?rst screen exits said body through
said rejects outlet.
5. A device in accordance With claim 4 Wherein said device
at said rotor open end includes a dilution liquid inlet adjacent
said rejects outlet so that dilution liquid is added to the slurry
not passing through said ?rst screen after rejects exit through
said rejects outlet.
6. A device including a holloW cylindrical body de?ning
axially extending compartments therein for receiving a slurry
of pulp ?bers in a carrying slurry and provided With a slurry
inlet and a slurry outlet;
?rst and second stationary coaxial annular screens dis
posed Within said body; With the second screen disposed
generally radially outWardly of the ?rst screen,
and a rotor having a ?rst side and a second side, said rotor
being Within the body and positioned betWeen the
screens to conduct the slurry along the rotor ?rst side and
through said ?rst screen and then along the rotor second
side and through said second screen, said rotor being
driven in rotation.
US 2010/0288681A1
7. A device in accordance With claim 6, Wherein slurry
passing through said ?rst screen passes axially along said
housing, between a slurry inlet pipe and the ?rst screen, and
then around an end of the rotor to pass axially along said
housing betWeen the outer surface of the rotor and the second
screen.
8. A device in accordance With claim 6, Wherein said device
further includes a slurry inlet pipe, coaxial With and radially
inWard from said rotor.
9. A device in accordance With claim 8, Wherein said rotor
is closed at one end and open at the other end, so that slurry
passing through said ?rst screen passes axially along said
housing, betWeen said slurry inlet pipe and the ?rst screen,
Nov. 18, 2010
and then around said rotor at its open end to pass axially along
said housing betWeen the outer surface of the rotor and the
second screen.
10. A device in accordance With claim 9 Wherein said
device at said rotor open end includes a rejects outlet so that
slurry not passing through said ?rst screen exits said cylin
drical body through said rejects outlet.
11. A device in accordance With claim 10 Wherein said
device at said rotor open end includes a dilution liquid inlet
adjacent said rejects outlet so that dilution liquid is added to
the slurry not passing through said ?rst screen after rejects
exit through said rejects outlet.
* * * * *